Seldom-Used Words

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Harold, I am a Capricorn born under the influence of the stern disciplinarian of the zodiac, namely Saturn, and suspected the reason for the definition I posted, but thank you for verifying the facts.

Og, are bowyers makers of bows, armourers makers of armour and fletchers makers of feathered arrows?

sate - verb to satisfy to the full or to excess
 
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Og, are bowyers makers of bows, armourers makers of armour and fletchers makers of feathered arrows?

1. Bowyers, yes.

2. Armourers, yes but also makers of all sorts of armaments including guns and in modern times tanks, armoured vehicles, towed artillery etc.

3. Fletchers, yes but originally only the flights of arrows. Later they made the whole arrows including the different heads for different uses.

Og
 
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Cot or Cote a small dwelling on an assigned (small) piece of land later Cottage. The spelling cote is usually only found as a suffix, eg sheepscote or dovecote and less often a prefix as in Coteswold and the modern spelling of the last has dropped the e to become Cotswold.

Cotset (the oldest version) was succeeded by Cottier then Cotter then Cottager and was the designation of the villeins (peasants) who inhabited a cot. All these words beginning cot have their origins in Old English and Old Teutonic. but in legal documents of the middle ages they were not called cotsets, cotters etc. but bordars - with an a. Bordar is from the mediaeval latin and occurs in Domesday as Bordarius. Cotterell means the same but seems to have come into the language by a different route, possibly old french.

Finally Coterie was originally the name for a small group of cot dwellers who banded together either to rent land from their lord or to co-operate in the management of common land.

Cotterell and Cotter have survived as surnames.

One of my wife's ancestors was a farm labourer who had a stroke of luck in the 1770's to become a cottager associated with one of the new canals then being built in England. Very unusually for a person in his position he could read and write and do simple arithmetic. Therefore his parish priest recommended him to the canal company as a lock keeper. It was not an onerous job but required a person who could keep a tally book of all the barges and cargoes navigating the lock. The canal company provided a simple house and a very large 2 acre garden. He was then able to augment his paltry salary by selling produce from his garden to the canal boat crews.

As an aside the canal company originally demurred saying that they would prefer a more mature, married man, but the vicar soon dealt with that; he persuaded the young man to marry a 24 year old widow (he was only 19 himself) and the job was his. The records of this survive as does the record of the fact that in 1818 in the agricultural recession which followed the end of the Napoleonic wars, the lock keeper had done well enough that he was able to buy the 60 acre farm on which he had laboured as a boy.

The grandson of the former owner of the farm had to sell up shortly after inheriting the property but the families clearly had a close connection because the lock keeper (now of the second generation) helped the young farmer to emigrate to the United States. Some of their correspondence survives and in 1828 the story took another turn when the lock keeper wrote to his American protege suggesting that if he would be amenable to the idea of marrying one of his (many) daughters the small debt he still owed would be forgiven. The young man replied enthusiastically noting that there were not many good women to be had who knew anything of farming. The upshot was that the lock keeper sent two of his daughters to the USA with instructions that his protege should find a husband for the second girl which young man in a wonderful expresssion he desired, "should be afeared of God but have no fear of God's work"

The two young women made it to the US and across the US to south central Illinois where in 1830 they married the former lock keeper's protege and one of his friends, another farmer. And that was some investment! The two women between them had twenty three children many of whose descendants live in the same area of Illinois today. Much research remains uncompleted but one lock keeping cottager became a multi faceted success story.

The lock keepers position and cottage remained in the English family until the end of the nineteenth century.
 
Thank you so much, Ishtat, what a lovely read this morning over coffee.

And thanks for the explanation of those words, Og.

Between the two of you, I understand British traditions much better. The history of Britain does fascinate me.

I found this word during research yesterday;

polyglot - adj
1. having a command of many languages
2. written in, composed of, or containing many languages

noun
1. a person with a command of many languages
2. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a book, esp a Bible, containing several versions of the same text written in various languages
3. a mixture or confusion of languages

[from Greek poluglōttos literally: many-tongued, from poly- + glōtta tongue]
 
I do love this word, seldom-used or not;

sashay - verb informal to walk with exaggerated or unnatural motions expressive of self-importance or self-display
 
I do love this word, seldom-used or not;

sashay - verb informal to walk with exaggerated or unnatural motions expressive of self-importance or self-display
Now that's one that should have reminded you of the old west. :p

sashay (v.)

1836, mangled Anglicization of Fr. chassé "gliding step" (in square dancing), lit. "chased," pp. of chasser "to chase," from O.Fr. chacier "to hunt," from V.L. *captiare (see capable, and cf. chase, catch). Related: Sashayed; sashaying. The noun is attested from 1900.

It isn't precisely a word peculiar to the old west, but a word that came into use at the time much of the west was being settled.
 
True enough, Harold, but my mother accused me of it on many an occasion, so it feels much more current to me. Thanks for the background info on sashay, either way.

I especially enjoy this French word and sincerely hope I have not already posted it;

sang-froid - noun 1. lack of emotional agitation 2. the state or quality of being nonchalant
 
I found these two to be quite interesting;

sanctify - verb to make sacred by a religious rite

sanctimony also sanctimoniousness - noun a show or expression of feelings or beliefs one does not actually hold or possess

My mother used to say to my father when I was a girl, "Now, don't get sanctimonious on me!" which I presumed meant 'holier than thou'.
 
My mother used to say to my father when I was a girl, "Now, don't get sanctimonious on me!" which I presumed meant 'holier than thou'.

You were correct:

From Thesaurus.com

Main Entry: sanctimonious
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: self-righteous
Synonyms: Pecksniffian, bigoted, canting, deceiving, false, goody-goody, holier-than-thou, hypocritical, insincere, pharisaical, pietistic, pious, preachy, self-satisfied, smug, stuffy, unctuous
Antonyms: humble, meek, modest

Of course, I had to look up "pecksniffian" out of that list because it is such a wonderful word, no matter what it means:

Peck·sniff·i·an (pĕk-snĭfˈē-ən)
adjective
Hypocritically benevolent; sanctimonious.

Origin: After Seth Pecksniff, a character in Martin Chuzzlewit, a novel by Charles Dickens.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 
Great thread :)

I haven't read all of the posts so these may already have been used, but some of my favorites are:

Defenestrate - throw someone or something out of a window

Masticate - chew (it sounds so dirty)

Foible - minor flaw or shortcoming

Callipygian - possessing a nicely-shaped ass
 
True enough, Harold, but my mother accused me of it on many an occasion, so it feels much more current to me. Thanks for the background info on sashay, either way.

I especially enjoy this French word and sincerely hope I have not already posted it;

sang-froid - noun 1. lack of emotional agitation 2. the state or quality of being nonchalant

A little close to sang frood, which is to have sung on joy.
 
This one I have never understood properly until now;

salvo - noun 1. a concentrated outpouring, as of missiles, words, or blows 2. a formal token of appreciation and admiration for a person's high achievements

The definitions are so different, usage must make the distinction. No wonder I was confused.
 
This one I have never understood properly until now;

salvo - noun 1. a concentrated outpouring, as of missiles, words, or blows 2. a formal token of appreciation and admiration for a person's high achievements

The definitions are so different, usage must make the distinction. No wonder I was confused.
sal·vo 1 (slv)
n. pl. sal·vos or sal·voes
1.
a. A simultaneous discharge of firearms.
b. The simultaneous release of a rack of bombs from an aircraft.
c. The projectiles or bombs thus released.
2. Something resembling a release or discharge of bombs or firearms, as:
a. A sudden outburst, as of cheers or praise.
b. A forceful verbal or written assault.
[Italian salva, from French salve, from Latin salv, hail, imperative of salvre, to be in good health, from salvus, safe; see sol- in Indo-European roots.]

and

Salvo a salute or discharge of firearms, rockets, etc.; shouts or cheers of the crowd.
Examples: salvo of applause, 1845; of cannons, 1826; of confetti, 1860; of despair, 1875; of gunfire; of rabble, 1734; of rockets, 1799; of shot, 1591.

Given the latin etymology I would say your second definition came first and the military, as it is wont to do, used it ironically/sarcastically when applied to a burst or surge of missile weapons sent at an enemy. In a way, a military salvo is "admiration for ... high achievements" because it is an attempt to overwhelm an objective or enemy that is a serious threat.
 
Fardel

I just now came upon this thread and I haven't time to check all the words offered. Mine is fardel, as in: "Who would these fardels bear, . . ." (Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1, 1770)

Fardel: n. Archaic. a bundle; burden. (Random House College Dictionary, 1984)
 
Thanks, Harold, I really appreciate your input;

How about this one?

salmagundi - noun a collection of various things
 
I want to welcome Kinkycurvy and Eroscott to our little group of word lovers. Thanks for your input.

Here are the last two from the S section;

salability - noun market appeal

salableness - noun same as above
 
Thank you, Slick Tony for that truly great and seldom-used word. I can't wait to use it! hehehe

Happy Valentine's Day to ALL!

I found this article on the History of Valentine's Day;

The story of St. Valentine has two different versions - the Protestant and the Catholic one. Both versions agree upon Saint Valentine being a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter. During the lifetime of Valentine, the golden era of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Education declined, taxation increased and trade witnessed a very bad time. The Roman empire faced crisis from all sides, from the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asia. The empire had grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Naturally, more and more capable men were required to to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation from takeover. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure quality soldiers.

The ban on marriage was a great shock for the Romans. But they dared not voice their protest against the mighty emperor. The kindly bishop Valentine also realized the injustice of the decree. He saw the trauma of young lovers who gave up all hopes of being united in marriage. He planned to counter the monarch's orders in secrecy. Whenever lovers thought of marrying, they went to Valentine who met them afterwards in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. And thus he secretly performed many marriages for young lovers. But such things cannot remain hidden for long. It was only a matter of time before Claudius came to know of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested.

While awaiting his sentence in prison, Valentine was approached by his jailor, Asterius. It was said that Valentine had some saintly abilities and one of them granted him the power to heal people. Asterius had a blind daughter and knowing of the miraculous powers of Valentine he requested the latter to restore the sight of his blind daughter. The Catholic legend has it that Valentine did this through the vehicle of his strong faith, a phenomenon refuted by the Protestant version which agrees otherwise with the Catholic one. Whatever the fact, it appears that Valentine in some way did succeed to help Asterius' blind daughter.

When Claudius II met Valentine, he was said to have been impressed by the dignity and conviction of the latter. However, Valentine refused to agree with the emperor regarding the ban on marriage. It is also said that the emperor tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods but was unsuccesful in his efforts. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. This angered Claudius II who gave the order of execution of Valentine.

Meanwhile, a deep friendship had been formed between Valentine and Asterius' daughter. It caused great grief to the young girl to hear of his friend's imminent death. It is said that just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after. As per another legend, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer during his imprisonment. However, this legend is not given much importance by historians. The most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not centered on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD.
 

quango • n. a semipublic administrative body outside the civil service but with financial support from and senior appointments made by the government; an acronym (variously spelt out as quasi non-governmental organisation, quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation, and quasi-autonomous national government organisation) used notably in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and elsewhere to label colloquially an organisation to which government has devolved power. In the United Kingdom the official term is "non-departmental public body" or NDPB.








Sonofabitch; I've never even seen the damned word 'til now: http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2011/2/14/climate-quango-cuts.html

What a GREAT Scrabble® word!

The Guardian is reporting that the Climate Change Committee, part of the plethora of quangos set up to provide sinecures for environmentalists, is under threat of losing its independence. This follows a series of cuts to similar quangos.

Why, we want to know, is it not being closed down entirely?





 
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Trysail, that is a great scrabble word, indeed. Now, if only I can retain it until I play, again. LOL

From the R section;

runagate - noun archaic a person who has defected
 
As to the Valentine's story, Allard, it is probably a fabrication (the "Saint" most likely never existed), but did, as with Christmas, serve a spreading Christianity in it's efforts to co-opt pagan holidays, in this case a sidereal fertility day.
In North America, we count the solstices and equinoxes as the start of the season, but in Europe these are traditionally the middle of the season (note: "In The Bleak Mid-Winter" and "A Mid-Summer Night's Dream"). Spring, then would be the three months centred on the Venal Equinox of March 21, and mid-February would be the start of spring. You know, "Primo Verde," when a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of...

And for a seldom-used word, how about

otiose adj Being at leisure; producing no useful result; without function.
 
That is more like never heard before, Tio. Good one. I wish I could do more of that, at times.

ruction - noun a quarrel or fight marked by very noisy, disorderly, and often violent behavior
 
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